An update of a popular blog post from January 19, 2009

Successful shopkeeping means paying attention to so many details.  For example, what does your restroom say about your store? The illustration above, which is based on what I saw at a branch of a well-known women’s clothing store when I first wrote this post, says: “we will never, ever run out of paper towels.” Is this really the main message they wanted to convey? By using the customer restroom for storage, the shop implied that the customer was invading the store’s private area by asking to use the bathroom.

Most retailers are required by law to make a restroom available to customers, and this opportunity to continue to make shoppers feel welcome and appreciated is sometimes lost. Keep the bathroom locked, if you need to for security purposes, but be gracious when loaning out the key. We put the key to our restroom on a huge key-ring that includes a plastic goldfish so that it doesn’t accidentally go home in someone’s pocket — but we also have a backup. When it goes missing, the key has usually been left in the bathroom, so we just need to retrieve it.

If you sell soaps or lotions, or a neighboring business does, providing these comforts is an easy way to invite customers to try them.  We plan to put a reed diffuser from one of our suppliers in our restroom when the new tester arrives. Signage is helpful to explain that you sell the product being sampled.

Posters on the wall can provide additional information about your products. Consider using a frame that allows you easy access to post flyers for upcoming events. If you must use your restroom for storage, put the supplies in a cabinet or behind a curtain to block the view. Remember not to keep cleaning supplies that might be dangerous to children in the bathroom.

It is essential that a restroom that is open to customers, as well as one used by your employees, be kept clean and well stocked.  If you are constantly running out of toilet paper, invest in a jumbo roll dispenser, or one that stores a backup roll. This has saved us a great deal of hassle, as well as the embarrassment of a customer finding no toilet paper on hand.  After all, you want your customers to feel welcome and comfortable so that they will stay in your store and continue shopping!

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder